REGIER UPDATES RIVET SITUATION

Sabres defenseman and captain Craig Rivet was placed on waivers by the club on Wednesday, a move General Manager Darcy Regier addressed in the HSBC Arena press box prior to the game against the Thrashers.

Craig Rivet

“We wanted to give him an opportunity to play. I spoke with (Craig’s) agent yesterday morning and he had expressed a trade,” Regier said. “We tried to move him through a trade, and unfortunately weren’t able to and so, this is the next step in helping him resume his career in a playing way.

“The only way we’re going to be able to give him an opportunity to play, and it doesn’t look likely here, is to put him on waivers.”

Teams will have until 12 noon on Thursday to claim Rivet. If he is not claimed, Regier said they would make a determination on how to proceed on Thursday. He also stated another factor in the decision was that Rivet did not figure into the team’s future plans after this season.

“The (upcoming) trade deadline has a way of making you examine the balance of the season and preparing for next season and the reality, unfortunately, is he wasn’t going to be a part of next season here,” Regier said. “We’ve got some young guys in Portland that we may want to have a look at and this is one of the things that we have to do beyond giving him the opportunity to play somewhere.

“You handle (the situation) with a lot of respect. This was something that he wanted as well. He wanted the opportunity to play, and when you can’t provide it for him here, the step is to try and trade him, then to put him on waivers and we’ll know at 12 noon (Thursday) whether or not it’s successful.”

Rivet has appeared in 23 games for the Sabres this season and has registered three points (1-2-3), but has not played since Jan. 11 against Philadelphia. The 36-year-old is in his 16th NHL season and third with the Sabres.